20XX is an action-platforming roguelike game from Batterystaple Games designed in the style of the Mega Man X games. Recently, the game entered its beta phase of development with the release of Beta version 0.80 on Steam, so I decided to take this new release for a whirl to see what had changed since back in its alpha days.

For starters, the game now features a “Casual” mode of play that allows you to take up to three items that you’ve unlocked during your previous play sessions with you. So, while your health upgrades and other things won’t necessarily carry over, you’ll have the benefit of some of the nice power-ups to take with you to make things a bit easier. Arguably, this doesn’t make the game truly casual, as one death will still kick you back out to the beginning of the game, but it does give you a bit of an edge versus “Normal” play. A few new items have been added to the game as well, the stages have been tweaked, some new stuff has been added, and the bosses have been revamped a bit.

It’s hard to say how the final product will end up, but the game’s Steam page claims that this is “closer to what the final release will be like,” so I guess we’re getting a glimpse of the commercial version here.